Antislipping device.



H. FOLTZ.

ANTISLIPPING DEVICE.

APPLIUATION ULEB PEB. 1,1913.

Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0.. PHaTo-LlTHO.. WASHING rON. D4 C.

HENRY ron'rz, or sHARonfrENNsYLvANIA.-

nnfrrsnrrrnve DEVICE.

Specication of Letters Patent. Application filed February 1, 1913. Serial No. 745,664.

To aZZfwhom it may concern: n

Be it known that I, IIENRY"'F0LTZ, a

citizen of the United States`residing at Sharomin the county of Mercerand State, of Pennsylvania, have .invented new and useful Improvements in Antislipping De-` vices, of which the following is'faspecilication. i -i a n i'Ihe 4invention relates to anti-slipping devices and has for an object to provide a,de`r

vice, preferablyadapted to be wornv on'a shoe, to prevent the wearer from slippingy on ice or other slippery surfaces.

The invention comprehends, among other, features, a simple and Vdurable structure `The device is preferably adapted for use as an ice creeper and may also be employed by athletesto take the place of the usual spiked shoes which'they wear to prevent themselves from falling in the participation of athletic events and the like. n p The invention still further embodies a device that can be readily adjusted to shoes of different sizes and which will be securely held on the shoe and-prevented from slipping or accidentally becoming removed therefrom.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specilication, in whichsimilar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe de vice, showing the same applied to a shoe, the shoe being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the device; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2; and Fig.` 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2.

Referring morev particularly tothe views, I disclose an anti-slipping device 10, consisting of a plurality of similar, eXible ribbon-like plates 11, pivotally connected atl their medial portion by a calk 12 depending from the lowermost plate andprovided with an integral reduced shank 13`projecting upwardly throughv the medial portions of the plates 11, as mentioned, with the upper end of the shank enlarged by flattening plates 11k andsecure the calk 12 ina de-y pending position. y p vy. y j

L-shaped clamping members 14,. preferably made of the same material as the plates 11,are` mounted to swingen the front"` ends Patented Nov,10,1914.`

the same vso' as :topivotally connect the i soY of the` plates 111 by calks `15, similar to the.,`

ing members 14 with the front ends ofthe .calk 12 yand adaptedto connect the clamp* `f t ,n

plates 11 in thesame manner that theplates are pivotallyfconneeted at. theirl medial portions, it'being'j thus apparent that the calks 12andf15.y not 4only perform the function of f gripping the anti-slipping members,v but'i'70 also aid inpivotally connecting the `plates j 11 and mounting'the clamping members14 to swing on thefront ends of the plate, itA

being readily apparent vrby yreferring to the views that the calks 15 depend from the under sides'of `the. front ends ofthe plates 11 in the samemanner that the vcalk 12 de` pends from the under side of the lowermosty plate at the medial portionlthereof.y

Obviously the clamping` members 14 are` capable of being swung to different angulary positions vwith relation to the platesfll so as to automatically adjust themselves to the various curvatures of the soles of theydiiferent styles of shoes, when the forward ends of the plates `are moved toward each otherv during the applicationy of the device'tothe i A plurality of toe straps 16 are secured to the upwardly extending portions of the clamping members 14 and are preferably connected by a buckle 17 supportedon one of the toe straps and adapted to receive the other therethrough so that the toe straps 16 can be relatively adjusted with respect to a shoe 18 disclosed in Fig. 1.3 'Similarly a heel strap 19 is secured to the rear ends of the plates 11, the said-heel strap consisting,

more particularly, of an yelastic section 20f having auxiliary sections 21 made of a loo strong material attached to the ends of the elastic section and riveted or in any other desirable ,manner secured to the rear 'endsof' the plates 11. y'

In the application of the device described to the shoe 18, the toe straps are arranged f to pass over the toe end of the shoe so that the plates 11 will lie against the sole of the shoe and lthe heel strap 19 is then passed around the shoe' immediately above the heel thereof, thus exerting a pull on the rear 'ends of the plates 11 and causing the front ends i of the plates to move toward each other, thus resulting in the members 14 exerting a clamping .and gripping Vaction on the sole of the shoe adjacent the toe. It Willr now be` on the shoe in they manner mentionedf that the same will be rigidly held to theshoe and Will be prevented from accidentally becoming removed therefrom and it Will be further apparent that by having the calks 12""and` 15 projecting downwardly fromk the plates 11 vlying against the sole of the shoe,x th`e wearer-of the shoev Willfbev prevented from falling or slipping onr smoothV and slippery surfaces in view ofthe 'fact that the calls will dig into thesurface and act `as` ycreepers. By providing the bucklel connecting the toe straps 16,v theldevice can be adjusted for j use on shoesV ofdierent sizes anditwillbe readily seen by referring to-theviews that'` the device can' be easily' attachedtoy and as easily removed from the-shoe. l

Although the device is preferably adapted foruse asl an icecreeper, it can also beV attached to the shoes of athletes to take the place of the usual spikes secured rigidly in the-sole-of the shoe; n f

It will be further noted that by having the plates 1-1V made of a flexible metal or other' material, the plates Will readily con-y form to the'curvaturelof thesole of the shoe to which the device-s applied. v Y j Although I have disclosed: a particular form of the invention, it Will be understood that I do not limit myself to the structure disclosedjin the: drawingsl and that various y Copies of this patent may be obtained for slight changes may be made Without departiling` from -the spiritof the invention, the scope of the invention being definedv in the appended` claim. apparent that When the device is mounted,4

Having thus described my invention, I

\ claimr:

In an anti-slipping device forl shoesfa pair of crossed pivot'ally connected plates adapted to be arranged under the sole of the shoe, said plates havingtheir rear ends free of' projections so as not to contact with the side ofthe shoe, calks secured to the underfaces of the plates, an endless strap secured to" the rear end' of the plates for engagementwith the'heel ofthe shoe'and adapted to inovetlie`fo`I-Ward ends ofthe said` plates toward each other, substantially L-shaped clamping members pivotally secured tothe forwardy ends of'said plates for engagement Withthe sole edges of the shoes, said members being adapted to automatically adjust themselves to tliecurvature of the sole-When said-forwardends aremoved` toward each other, and adj nstableY front and real` strapsl connecting said' members, said members havingthat portionthat engages the sole of the shoe converging toward eachother so as to prevent displacement of said plates doWn` vvardly independent ofsaid front adjustable strap.v t t In testimonyvvhereof `I afliX my signature ve cents eaclnby addressing the Gommssoner ofi Patents, Washington, D? Cl, v l 

